Your Turn — Nov. 5

Updated 12:00 am, Monday, November 5, 2012

A reader says Hurricane Sandy should teach us a harsh lesson: Barrier islands serve as barriers, not as population centers.

A reader says Hurricane Sandy should teach us a harsh lesson: Barrier islands serve as barriers, not as population centers.

Photo: Dann Cuellar, Associated Press

Your Turn — Nov. 5

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Corrupting nature

If there's one thing we've learned over the past 100 years or so, it could be that barrier islands were placed there for just that, to provide protection for the mainland against storms.

The hurricanes which devastated Galveston Island in 1900 and recently on Long Beach Island, New Jersey, did what nature intended: to deflect the shock of the storms away from the mainland.

This is not to trivialize or minimize the death and destruction suffered by residents of either location, but it should serve as a lesson for us not to corrupt nature to serve mankind in foolhardy ways.

Being middle class is comparable to being a middle child in a family. It teaches you to be a survivor and not a whiner. The middle class is a strong, responsible, self-sufficient, successful group of Americans. Just like a middle child, we learn to take care of ourselves. The middle class is proud and loves America. We can do just fine without “Big Brother”!

Gail Stadsvold

Intrusion

Re: “Planned Parenthood Sues,” Saturday:

I am a physician who has never helped perform an abortion, but the same Texas law that is trying to get rid of Planned Parenthood is punishing me because I sometimes work with a doctor that once performed an abortion. This law is enough to keep me out of the Women's Health Program as an “affiliate” of abortion providers, even though I have never helped with an abortion.

A related Texas law requires doctors who perform abortions to give their patients a brochure that contains medical information that is not accurate. I am one of 500 doctors of the Texas Medical Association House of Delegates who voted to object to this law. Doctors are required to give patients incorrect information or face penalties.

Even though it may appear this just affects abortion, this is government intrusion of the worst kind that affects all of us. This is our government punishing doctors for whom they know, not what they have done.

This is the state of Texas coming between you and your doctor, telling your doctor what they must tell you, even if your doctor knows that is not medically accurate.

Richard Whynot's letter stated that over a 14-day period the paper had published 13 letters from likely Republicans and only 10 from likely Democrats. His erroneous conclusion was that the Express News leans conservative. Since the 16th, I have monitored the letters as well, and find 16 from Republicans and 34 from Democrats, for a 29-day total of 29 from Republicans and 44 from Democrats.

Add to that the paper's endorsements of a failed Obama presidency and the poorly thought-out Pre-K program, and it shows that the Express-News is certainly more liberal than conservative.

Thank you, Express-News, for covering the issues so closely on the ethics violations by Pat DiGiovanni and other staffers recently.

Your assessment is correct. Why should anyone conduct themselves ethically if the reprimands are so light? The payoffs are great, and if one can get away with it, so much the better.

I blame the council and mayor for this as well. The mayor stood by Scully in saying the process of the selection for the Convention Center project had not been compromised. Mr. Mayor, what has been compromised is trust. And without trust, Mayor, you cannot govern. I think the mayor is blind to himself and the council members. I think he lacks backbone, as well as experience in governance.

Most of the council have not been in any position of decision-making; therefore, they follow Scully like puppies. Kudos to the newspaper, and there are quite a lot of us out here appreciating the change in leadership at the paper.

Good job, and keep it up, Express-News, for great reporting, follow-ups and clarity so readers know what's happening.

I must take issue with Brian C. Halderman's death penalty assessment. I agree it is not a deterrent. Having said this, the reason it is not is because of the legal wrangling by opportunistic lawyers who keep death row inmates alive for years and possibly get their sentence commuted on some sort of technicality, which in turn can get them an early release (people should read up on serial killer Kenneth McDuff for a better understanding of this phenomenon).

You talk about the dollars saved when a life sentence is given. Apparently you don't know the cost of housing one inmate for the rest of his life. Couple this with the thousands who will end up with life sentences and the cost is soaring. You can call it revenge; you can call it vengeance — the death penalty insures the perpetrator cannot re-commit other horrific crimes against the innocent.

Everybody I know hates it and would like to see it go, one way or the other. Let's put that on a ballot some day, and I guarantee you it will be turned down three to one. I've talked to hundreds of people that are tired of changing their clocks and want it, removed one way or the other.

This was all designed by Benjamin Franklin so kids could get out of school early to help with the crops. Haven't we progressed a little since then? Four states never bought into that baloney.